Improvement in hay and cotton presses



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

L. L. OUMMINGS, OF MUNNSVILLE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAY AND COTTON PRESSES, 80C.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 20,551, dated J une l5, 1858.A

To a/ZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, LINCOLN L. GUM- MINGs, of Munnsville, in the county of Madison and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Presses for Coinpres'sing Hay, Cotton, Hops, and other Substances or Articles which are Compressed for Baling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figurel is a transverse vertical section of a press with my improvement applied to it. Fig. 2, indicates the plane of section. Fig. 2is a longitudinal vertical section of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detached plan or top view of the follower.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

'Ihe obj eet of this invention is to overcome the difficulty attending-the free or perfect operation of the press in case the follower in its descent assumes an inclined position. The object is attained by having the screws, which, in connection with rotating nuts form the device by which the follower is operated, fitted in movable plates, so that the screws and nuts may, when necessary, be shifted or adjusted for the purpose of regulating during the operation of pressing the position of the follower.

To enable those skilled in the art to fullyv understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a case or box of rectangular form. Bv is a follower or plunger, which is fitted in the box A and allowed to work freely up and down therein. O is a bar which is placed on the top of the follower B, and longitudinally with it, the ends of the bar projecting beyond the ends of the follower and having a T-shaped slot, c, made vertically through each end. One of these slots is shown clearly in Fig. 3.

On each end of the bar C a cap, D, is placed. These caps have each an oblong slot, b, made through them, said slots being in line with the inner parts of the slots a in the bar C. These caps are provided at each end with a handle, c, and on each cap D a sliding plate, E, is fitted, said plates being placed ing fitted to each plate, the bearings c of said screws being on the caps D. Through the center of each plate E a circular opening, f, is made.

To the bottom ofthe case or box A a bar,

G, is attached. This bar projects beyond the edges of the case or box A, and at each end of it a chain, H, is rmly attached.

To the upper end of each chain H a screw, I, is secured, and these screws pass through the inner parts of the slots a in the bar C through the slots bin the caps D, and through the sliding plates E E, and a nut, J, is fitted on each screw I above the plates E, which form bearings for the saine. Each nut J is encompassed by teeth g, into which a springpawl, K, catches. These" pawls are fitted in sockets L, which are fitted to the nuts J, and are allowed to turn freely thereon. In the sockets L hand-levers M are fitted. (See Fig. 2.) Each side of the case or box A at its up per part is formed of a series of slats, h, which are placed one over the other and fitted between proper guides, i', so that they may be withdrawn as the follower descends, and the substance or article within the case or box is compressed.

The operation is as follows: The follower B is depressed, is forced down on the article or substance to be compressed, by turning the .levers M, and consequently the nuts J, and in case the follower tilts or one side gets higher than the other as it is forced down, the operator, by turning the crank-screws F, will Inove the plates E, and consequently the screws I, the oblong slots bin the caps D and the oblong inner parts of the slots a permitting such movement of the screws; and if the screws are moved in the proper direction-that is, toward the higher edge of the follower B-Y the follower will be canted or moved back to a horizontal position. Ihe follower therefore may be readily kept in a horizontal position, and when the article is fully compressed and bound the follower may be removed, so that the bale may be removed and the case 0r box A refilled by screwing upward and loosening the nuts J, and turning the caps D Off of the bur C, the screws I passing through the The oups l), sliding plates E E, and the bar outer or longitudinal parts of the slots a. The C, in combination with the screws I I und Sluts h, it will be understood, are removed as nuts J, the whole being arranged to operate the follower descends. as and for the purpose set forth.

I do not claim the screws I and nuts .I for the purpose of operating the follower B, for LINCOLN L' CUMMINGS' they have been previously used; but Vtnesses:

I claim as new and desire to secure by Let- R. S. BARR, ters Patentm WILLIAM STRNGER. 

